Casket-lowering device.



C. A. PURVIS.

CASKET LOWERING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 13. 1917.

l ,26 1,289., Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

WITNESS (24. m gfl 55 A. Paw/s wwj a MTORIVEYS INVEIVTDR C. A. PURVIS.

CASKET LOWERING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 13. 1917.

1,261,290 Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

f? g ff 1" I i /7 WITNESS A TTOR/VEYS oHAnLns A. Puavisor VERSAILLEE, MISSOURI.

GASKET-LOVTEEING DEVICE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthatl, OI-IARLEs A." Prunvrs,

a citizen .of the United States, and a resi.

dent of Versailles, in the county of ll lore gain and State of Missouri, have invented new and usefullrnproveinents in Casket- Lowering Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement'in casket lowering devices, and has for its object to provide a device of the character specified for. lowering caskets into graves, wherein springand governor-controlledlowering mechanism is provided, capable of support ing the casket above the graveandhaving releasing. inechanismvfor releasing the same to permit the casket to be lowered by its own weight into the grave.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the de vice in'use; 4 v

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal verticalsection through one of the lowering devices I Figs. 3, 5, 6 and 9 are sections on the lines 33, 5-5, 6 6 and'99, respectively, ofFig.2;

Fig. at is an enlarged sectional detail of the governing device; V

Fig. 7 is a. perspective view of the nor controlling shaft; and i Fig. 8 is asiinilar view ofthe connection between thestraps. In thepresent embodiment of "the'inventien, the lowering device consists of two similar devices, each of which iscomposed of a handle portion 1 in the form of a hollow pipe'having at eachenda grip'2 in the form of a cap fitting over the end er the pipe. Each pipe atits center is connected with a casing, the lower portion 3 of which is integral with thepipe, while the upper portion 4 thereof is threaded on to thelower portion,so that access may be permitted to the operating mechanism'to be hereinafter described. p .p q I i Within the lower' portidn "of thetcasing is journaled a shaft 5, and to this shaft is secured a reel or roller 6, upon which winds a pair of straps 7, the said straps extending in opposite directions, as shown,and passing toward the ends of the pipe. The pipe has a depending nipple 8 near each end, and

above each nipple is journaled a roller 9 over which the adjacent strap 7 passes out of the pipe. It will be noticed that while the roller 6 is journaled on a vertical axis,

Specification of Letters Patent.

wind up the straps.

goversleeve and the bracket.

Patented Apr. 2, i916.

Applitatioh filedNovember 13,l917. Seria1No.201,868.

the" rollers '9 are on horizontal aXes so that the strap is given a quarter turn just before it passes out of the pipe.

A; coil spring 10 is arranged within the lower part3 of the casing, the said spring being connected at one end to the casing and at the other end tot-he shaft, as shown in F 5, and the spring acts normally to turn the shaft in a direction opposed to that in which .itwould be turned by the unwinding of the strap, that is, the spring tends to Each of these straps 7 has an eyelet 11 at its end, and each eyelet isadapted to be engagedby a hook 12 on an auxiliary strap 13 which is adapted to pass beneath the casket and to engage the lowering deviceat each end.

A governor device is provided for governing the speed of descent of the casket, and the said device comprises a shaft l l which is journaled in the upper partof the casing in a disk 15-which is threaded into the said upper part and in a bracket 16 secured to the disk. This shaft is providedwith a gear wheel 17 which meshes with the gear wheel 18011 a countershaft19 also journaled in the 1 bracket and in the disk, and the lower end of the shaft 19 below the disk has a pinion or gear wheel 20 which meshes with a crow-n wlieel 21 on the roller shaft 5. A pair of levers 2:2 is pivoted to the shaft i l, and these levers are adapted to be thrown outward by a predetermined speed of the shaft. jThe levers 22 extend out through slotsin a sleeve 23 whichis mountedto move longitudinally of the shaft I l and is normally pressed downwardby a spring 2% arranged between the upper end of the The lower end of the sleeve 23 is provided with adisk 25 which has teeth at its circumference and on-its upperface, as shown. A shaft 26is mounted to move laterally through the portion 40f the casing and through a bracket 16, and this shaft has a tooth 27 at its inner end which is adapted to engage the teeth of the disk, to check or stop the rotating movement of the shaft 1% and that of the roller 6. The shaft 26 has a knurled head at its outer end, and the said shaft is keyed to the upper part 4 of the casing by a key 28.

In operation, a pair of bars 29 of wood or the like is placed across the grave near the ends thereof, and the straps 13 are placed on the bars, the said straps extending longitudinally of the bars and the casket Niki is placed on the straps. The pipes l with their connected parts are arranged transversely of the grave above the casket and the straps Yare connected to the ends of the straps l3. lVith an operator at each handle the casket is now raised a nd the bars are removed. Meanwhile, the shaft 26 has been in the position of Fig. t, that is, with the tooth 27 of the shaft in engagement with the teeth of the disk 25. The shaft is now moved longitudinally inward, releasing the teeth, and the weight or the casket causes it to move downward. The spring 10 placed under tension by the unwinding oi the straps, thus assisting in braking the downward movement of the casket. inaddition, this spring winds up the )5 after the casket is released.

The overnor consistin of the b 5 D levers 22 and connected parts, prevents undue speed of the casket during its descent. When the shaft l-l is rotated by the down ward movement oi the casket, the levers 22 are swung outwardly and the sleeve 23 is lifted. This lifting of the sle ve 23 brings the "teeth of the disk .25 into contact with the cam 27 of the rod 26, and a braking action'results. The more strongly the sleeve 23 is lifted the greater will be the braking action. The levers 22 passing, as they do, through slots in the sleeve 23, cause the sleeve 23 to rotate with the shaft 1.4;; Furthermore, the springs 10 assist in the braking action.

I claim:

1. A device of the character specified, comprising a pipe having a casing intermediate its ends, and grips at its ends, a roller journaled in the casing, straps winding upon the roller and extending touard the opposite ends of the pipe, said pipe havin open ings near its ends through which the straps depend, a coil spring acting to normally turn the roller in the opposite direction to which it turned by the unwinding of the straps, governor mechanism in the casing for controlling the speed of the roller and driven by the roller, means for preventing operation of the roller underthe influence of the straps, and means outside of the casing for releasing the restraining means, said prising a pipe having a casing intermediate its ends, and grips at its ends, a roller journaled in the casing, straps Winding upon the roller and extending toward the opposite ends of the pipe, said pipe having openings near its ends through which the straps depend, a coil spring acting normally to turn the roller in the opposite direction to which it is turned by the unwinding of the straps, and governor mechanism driven by the roller and controlling the speed thereof. 3. A device of the character specified, comprising a pipe having a casing intermediate its ends, and grips at its ends, a roller journalcd in the casing, straps winding upon the roller and extending toward the opposite ends of the pipe, said pipe havin openings near its ends through which the straps depend, a coil spring acting normally to turn the roller in the opposite direction to which it is turned by the unwinding of the straps, and means for controlling th speed of the roller.

t. A device of the character specified, com prising a casing having oppositely extending handles, a roller journaled in the casing, straps Winding upon the roller and having detachable connection at their outer ends to engage a casket, means for controlling the speed of the roller, means for rewinding the straps after they have bee, withdrawn from the roller, and releasable means for preventing the movement of the roller.

5. A device of the character specified, comprising a casing having oppositely extending handles, a roller journaled in the casing, straps winding upon the roller and having detachable connection at their outer ends to engage a casket, means for controlling the speed of the roller, and means for rewin ding the straps after they have been unwound from the roller.

6. A device of the character specified, comprising a casing having oppositely extendin handles, a roller journaled in the casin straps Winding upon the roller and having detachable connection at their outer ends to engage a casket, means for controlling the speed of the roller, and releasable means for preventing the unwinding of the straps from the roller.

CHARLES a, rnavis Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

